Our Christian learning community, which promotes the values of family life, supports parents as primary educators of their children.

During the day to day life of our school and in all aspects of the curriculum we promote Gospel values.

Everyone within our community is encouraged to strive for the highest standard of personal, social and intellectual development.

Our community recognises that each person is unique and our aim is to support each other along our personal journey of faith.

Our school and parishes aim to provide opportunities for every member of our community to experience prayer, worship and reflection.

AIMS AND RULES

Our aim is to enable each child to develop fully, gaining a rich educational experience in a happy and caring atmosphere. To this end St. Mary’s and the other schools of our local Catholic pyramid (St. Joseph’s and St. Edward’s) have agreed the following Mission Statement.

Our children are expected to:

Treat all persons and property with respect

Always behave in a polite, courteous and responsible manner

Walk around the school in an orderly and quiet manner

Be in the playground at 8.50 a.m.

Stand in silence when the bell rings at the end of each play

To observe our uniform code

CURRICULUM

St. Mary's is a Roman Catholic School catering for children from Catholic families in the area. Parents have the prime responsibility for the religious education of their children and we are here to support them in this role.

We aim to impart positive Catholic teaching based upon the Diocesan approved scheme, "Here I Am". We will take account of the diversity in belief and commitment, and promote a deeper knowledge, appreciation and understanding of the Catholic faith. At the same time we will relate to and respect other faith traditions and the ways in which they express the significance of human life.

We recognise the parents' right to wholly or partly withdraw their child from Religious Education (RE) and Collective Worship. Parents do not need to explain their reasons for seeking withdrawal, however, it is recommended, that to avoid any misunderstanding, the Head Teacher may wish to clarify the reasons with any parent wanting to withdraw. Policy is available from school for your inspection.

EXTRA-CURRICULAR

Staff are encouraged to take advantage of the school's central position for local visits and study of the environment. Visits are made to local museums and places of interest. Year 5 visit Leeson House for a few days to do a study of Swanage and Studland. Year 7 visit France in the summer term. The other year groups also have an annual school visit.